For the next edition of my Covers series, I’m looking at one of the most legendary songs ever: “All Along the Watchtower.” Originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan, it was soon made definitive by Jimi Hendrix, who turned the lyrical drama up to 11 and unleashed one of his most iconic solos. It’s a rare instance in which the cover is almost universally acknowledge as better than the original. Perhaps that’s why it hasn’t been covered in the studio by as wide a range of artists as our previous entry “Dancin’ in the Streets.” Jimi already nailed it, so what’s the use of even trying?

Well, a few have. Oftentimes, “All Along the Watchtower” is performed and recorded live. It genearly becomes a tribute to either the songwriter or late guitarist, and our investigation primarily concerns parsing between the two. Some later covers take it in a more low key, introspective direction, closer in spirit to Dylan’s original. Other take inspiration from the bombastic Hendrix Experience and use it as an excuse to cut loose and shred. Either way, it’s always fun to hear artists’ takes on a legendary song. In another sense, one of the fascinating aspects of Bob Dylan is how he constantly reinterprets his songbook over time, depending on the context and his collaborators. We’ll take a look at a couple of those instances too. So, let’s saddle up and venture forth into the 11 most notable renditions of that mythic number “All Along the Watchtower.”

Bob Dylan (John Wesley Harding, 1967)

Named after an outlaw of the old American West, 1967’s John Wesley Harding saw Bob Dylan return to a mostly acoustic sound after a couple years of embracing kaleidoscopic, electric rock. His previous three records changed the face of culture, so in some ways JWH is a settling down. That said, Dylan’s lyric bite is as strong as ever, and in this instance his biblical musings are made more powerful by their stark surroundings. Case in point is “All Along the Watchtower,” which is the clear highlight of the set. The acoustic guitar and wailing harmonica set a lonely, foreboding tone, and then Dylan starts in with one of the truly greatest lines in pop music: “There must be some kind of way outta here / said the joker to the thief.” Like many Dylan songs, the lyrics are not explicitly clear. What’s the actual situation? Is the castle under attack? Are the joker and the thief speaking existentially? Is the castle being evacuated, or are the women and barefoot servants going about their business, blissfully unaware of the coming storm? Despite the ambiguity, there is no missing the vibe: dark, stormy, on the verge of something drastic. The last part of the final verse sums this up perfectly:

Well outside in the cold distance / A wild cat did growl. / Two riders were approaching, / The wind began to howl.

Is the wild cat the threat, or indicative of it? Are the Riders coming to the watchtower’s aid, or are they knives in the dark? Either way, the imagery is awesome, and it is this ambiguous dread that marks this original version as a classic and inspired all subsequent covers.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Electric Ladyland, 1968)

The brilliance of Jimi Hendrix’s interpretation, just a year after the original release, is his ability to tap into the essence of the song then magnify it. Whereas Dylan’s is focused solely around the lyrics, here Hendrix and his band convey that epic sense of mounting dread through their music. It opens with a now iconic stuttering riff, then the lead guitar comes ripping across through the dark. Hendrix delivers maybe the best vocal performance of his career; as the song builds so does the energy in his voice, until it breaks over the mayhem in the final verse.

Speaking of that mayhem, let’s touch on that guitar. Look, everyone knows that Jimi is the THE guitar god. Even among his canon, “All Along the Watchtower” stands tall. He used then-revolutionary pedals to create a maelstrom of six-string wizardry. The main solo, in between the second and third verses, is essentially a masterclass in tone, as he shifts through several sections that build up to the explosion of the final verse. And after the song’s final line, “the wind began to howl,” the guitar comes in again as the wind, and it, well, howls. The way it winds up higher and higher as the track fades out conveys so much about the danger that the lyrics lay out: there is more to come. (I also want to take a minute to nod toward the contributions of drummer Mitch Mitchell, who is extremely underrated in the pantheon and effectively emphasizes Jimi’s building fury with rolling cascades of drums.)

It’s no exaggeration to say that this is one of the greatest covers of all time. But it demonstrates to us what makes a good cover: you don’t have to imitate the sound of the original, but you have to find the core of the song and apply that feeling to your own distinct vision. The Experience does just that, and the result is epic.

Bob Dylan & The Band (Before the Flood, 1974)

Performed live during a joint tour, this is as close to an electric version of the Bob Dylan studio version we’ll ever get. The Band were extremely simpatico with Dylan’s sensibilities; they originated as his backing band during the Sixites “gone electric period,” and after going on to their own esteemed career, they continued to collaborate extensively. For my money, Before the Flood is the best live Dylan album by far. It contains strong versions of his best songs backed by The Band, plus a set of a peak Band performing their hits, and a short solo acoustic set in the middle in which Bob is note perfect.

Since Hendrix’s death in 1970, Dylan has openly performed “All Along the Watchtower” as a tribute to the late guitarist. This is identifiably a Band recording (their sound is too unique) but it is an early example of Hendrixian tribute: Robbie Robertson’s guitar mimics the thrust of Jimi’s lines in his rugged style that yet lacks the former’s fluid virtuosity. The rhythm section is as loose and dependable as ever, and Garth Hudson’s organs add some cool depth to the sound. Bob’s vocals aren’t as good as in the studio, but that’s understandable, and he’s enjoyably engaged with the material. Overall, a pretty good version.

U2 (Rattle & Hum, 1988)

Taken off of U2’s terrible studio/live hybrid Rattle & Hum, this version of “All Along the Watchtower” just sounds flaccid. The album was recorded as the band’s tribute to their idea of “America,” but ended up being super pretentious and spotty. (The record does contain one great track, the gospel inflected “Desire.”) “Watchtower”’s arrangement is not fleshed out and The Edge’s simplistic rhythm never seem to go anywhere. As usual, this reading is all about Bono, who screams himself hoarse. If that sounds up your alley, then by all means, enjoy.

Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead (Dylan & The Dead, 1989)

In 1987, two prophets of the Sixties counterculture went on a co-headlining tour: the first set was the Grateful Dead, and the second set was the Dead backing Bob Dylan on his songs. In theory it sounds good, as the Dead had a long history of covering Dylan songs, so you’d think that performing them with the man himself would add an extra dose of magic. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Apparently Bob did not want to jam, but play relatively straightforward arrangements. Dylan’s refusal to jam robs his backing band of its greatest strength; at the same time, the Dead’s looseness is innately a less ideal compliment to the Bard’s narrative focused songs. The resulting album is widely acknowledge as among the worst entries in both artists’ catalogs.

That said, there are some bright spots, and “All Along the Watchtower” is one of them. A very different version from Dylan’s with the Band some 15 years prior, this one is a little darker and gloomy. Jerry Garcia does his best Hendrix, and the instrumental break in the middle is effectively dramatic. The thing is, they are forced to go back into the last verse before the musical ideas are developed to their full conclusion, robbing it of even more potential drama. Quibbles aside, it isn’t a terrible version, and lends credence to the fan claim that the shows weren’t quite as bad as their reputation suggests.

Indigo Girls (Back On the Bus, Ya’ll, 1991)

“All Along the Watchtower” fits the Indigo Girls’ style perfectly. They strip it down to an acoustic setting, and increase the drama of the lyrics by slowing down the tempo and stretching it out. The live opening betrays their hand when Amy Ray states “This is a Bob Dylan song.” (No Hendrix influence here!) Ray takes full lead vocal duties, and her powerful performance at first seems overwhelming but eventually becomes mesmerizing. She ad-libs some lyrics about human cooperation towards the end, marking this reading as distinctly Nineties. Emily Saliers provides some tasteful lead guitar accompaniment in what his one of the better versions of this song, because the artists make it theirs.

Dave Matthews Band (Recently, 1994)

Dave Matthews Band is one of those groups that you either love or you hate. The South African singer-songwriter’s earnest delivery and his band’s smokey, rustic jazz music is one of the stereotypical “bro” sounds. That said, I think they are an elastic and unique band, and their singular sound sets them apart from all other twiddly Nineties jam bands. DMB’s take on “All Along the Watchtower,” captured live, is very much right in their wheelhouse. Dave leads the song with his husky croon before the band enters and picks it up. LeRoi Moore’s saxophone and Boyd Tinsley’s violin sound great here. They really demonstrate what you can do with material when you venture out of the prescribed recipe, i.e. it doesn’t have to all be about the guitar. Matthews gets so worked up that he sings the final verse immediately after the second, so after ensuing instrumental break when he doesn’t have anywhere to go, he sings it again. The mistake isn’t minded, as I was right there with them.

Neil Young (Road Rock Vol. 1, 2000)

Remember when I said that some artists use this song as an excuse to cut loose and shred? Well, Neil Young wrings all possible wattage out of this song, and leaves nothing in his wake. This number is the closing song from a 2000 performance, and features a guest spot from The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde. Young is one of the most distinctive guitarists ever; there is no mistaking who is playing after you hear the first few screechy, cranking notes. While listening to this drawn out performance, it occurred to me that Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix were actually friends, so in that sense the maelstrom of sound takes on a more urgent quality, as if Young is trying to reach up to his departed brother in music. The whole crew is so carried away that they run through the full set of lyrics twice so that they can keep playing. Admittedly, the repetition of wailing guitar feedback can get a little staid if you aren’t in the mood for it, but it’s hard to deny the sheer emotion on display.

Grateful Dead (Postcards of the Hanging, 2002)

Here is a good study of what happens when you aren’t constrained by a boss. As I said, the San Francisco pranksters had a long documented love of covering Dylan in performance, and Postcards of the Hanging captures some notable covers through the years. The included “Watchtower” is from 1989, two years after they toured the country with Dylan himself and gave us the version discussed above. This reading takes some cues from that, but is just more unrestrained. Jerry is on fire and burns up and down his guitar neck the whole time. Bob Weir handles the vocals this time, and I for one have always appreciated his emotive voice. The rendition really shines, of course, in the instrumental break, which starts with a strong solo from keyman Brent Mydland before turning back to Garcia, who leads the band up to a climactic mountain that in no way would be possible with Dylan’s “no jamming” rule. You just can’t get there on cue, it has to happen organically. And on this date, at least, it did.

Bryan Ferry (Dylanesque, 2007)

The next version on this list comes from the former Roxy Music singer’s collection of Bob Dylan covers. In typical Ferry style, this reading is smooth and moody. There’s no flashy guitar or any harmonica to overtly nod toward the song’s writer, just a pretty straight ahead run through the song. It’s more synth heavy than any other version we’ve looked at, but to be honest it’s also kind of boring. I’m not sure if it’s presented this way because it’s honoring such a totemic song, or if that’s just Ferry’s artistic vision given that it’s the last track on the album. Either way, this is one of the least memorable presentations.

Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashes (I’m Not There, 2007)

Gravel voiced Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder recorded this solo cover for the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There. He’s backed by a supergroup formed for the soundtrack sessions that’s made up of various famous musicians and dubbed the Million Dollar Bashers. It’s clear that they take inspiration from Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde sound, with swirling organ and guitars, clattering percussion, and a noisey music hall vibe. It’s a look at a possible road not taken if Hendrix had never come along and done his thing. While this most recent cover is an interesting interpretation, I don’t think I’m going to revisit it much; it’s clearly trying to emulate another performer and as such doesn’t offer much of its own.

Conclusion

It’s hard to cover a legendary song, one that many people view as sacrosanct. You either have to be perfectly on the money as a tribute, or completely reinvent the song, which will often play against the audience’s expectations and leave them wanting. Looking through all the versions of “All Along the Watchtower” reveals that the biggest hallmark of a good cover song is finding yourself in the song, and making it work for you, instead of just aping the original. The most successful “Watchtowers,” such as the Dead, DMB, Indigo Girls, and certainly Hendrix, succeed because they’re less concerned about paying homage than they are with putting on a good performance. Like all art, music should be made for the moment, and whether its original or drawing on the past, it’s only as good as you make it.